PAULSON, HERRON, DAUWALTER Lead Women Dominating Ultraendurance Events

September 4, 2026

• ASHLEY PAULSON claimed outright victory at Badwater 135 across Death Valley in July 2023, beating all male competitors in the brutal 135-mile extreme heat endurance test.
• CAMILLE HERRON shattered 12 world records in 2024, including becoming first woman to eclipse a men’s American Record with her 48-hour mark while dominating multiple 100-mile championships.
• COURTNEY DAUWALTER crushed the Moab 240 field by over ten hours with no competitor close, while MAGGIE GUTERL outlasted elite men for 250 miles at Big’s Backyard Ultra.
• FIONA KOLBINGER won Transcontinental Race outright across 2,500 unsupported miles, while 55-year-old ANNA TROUP dominated Britain’s 268-mile Summer Spine after career-threatening injury.
• PENNY LEE DEAN’s 1976 Catalina Channel swim remains unbeaten nearly 50 years later, as women increasingly claim outright victories in extreme-distance endurance events against mixed fields.

american endurance racing, cycling, ultramarathon